Habitat for Humanity provides low-income families with access to affordable homeownership. Since 1985, over 2,700 Canadian families have realized affordable Habitat homeownership. The Habitat global network is active in over 70 countries and has served over 1 million families through a number of housing services!

“At Habitat, we’re very much focused on improving the lives of the children of families that move into our homes. Providing them a healthy home and solid foundation to grow is essential, but also is ensuring that we hand them down a clean environment for their and future generations. For that reason, we couldn’t be happier that Step Forward Paper has enabled us to achieve greater operational sustainability.” –Derek Mletzko Manager, Marketing & Communications – Habitat for Humanity Canada

Starting off the New Year with resolutions that not only benefit you, but also benefit the planet, can allow you to make a positive impact in 2015.

Here are our top 10 ways to live greener in 2015:

Recycle

While it seems like the most obvious way to make a positive impact, the truth is that recycling still is not a priority for many Canadians. With the average Canadian producing up to two kilograms of waste each day, recycling is a must for 2015 to help reduce what ends up in landfills.

Create an outdoor living space

Make nature part of our backyard! Consider including a few attractive birdhouses and feeders to make your backyard an outdoor oasis for wildlife too.

Time your lights: Save energy!

By putting your lights on timers you can save energy by having your lights come on and off at the most beneficial times.

Keep a garden

Not only can gardening be therapeutic…but also designing a garden and caring for it can foster a deep sense of appreciation for the earth.

Go vintage

Second hand clothing, furniture, or home décor accessories can not only help you reduce your personal consumerism levels, but offers a uniqueness and charm into your home.

Use eco-friendly home cleaning products

Use products that are good for you AND the environment!

Compost

An important environmental step towards living green is composting organic waste. Plus, by creating a small compost corner in your backyard, you can nourish your garden and cut down on fertilizing costs in the spring.

First try to repair rather than replace

It’s easy to throw out something that is broken, ripped or faded…but choosing to repair something rather than replace is a much more environmentally friendly approach.

Embracing an eco-friendly life style does not happen overnight. It is something you continually work on and strive to improve. Over time, your resolutions will become habits and you will be on your way to being an eco-friendly warrior!

This past summer, Step Forward Professional Grade Paper™ was selected as the official paper for the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s “Love Your Lakes” campaign. This was the first time Step Forward Paper™ had been used to manufacture envelopes, a watershed moment for us.

The success of this promotion has led Supremex, Canada’s largest manufacturer and marketer high quality stock and custom envelopes, labels and mailers, to offer a brand new line of eco-friendly envelopes printed entirely on Step Forward Paper™ professional grade paper.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with Step Forward Paper™ in the launch of our newest line of environmentally friendly products” says Murray Rundle, Director of Packaging at Supremex. “

“Brand owners looking for positive environmental messaging with their physical communications will love this product since every envelope will come pre-printed with a clear and concise environmental claim/logo on the back panel.”

Supremex is an industry leader when it comes to sustainability and green initiatives. Some of their efforts to bettering our planet include a company wide carbon reduction program, a carton return program (to reduce the number of corrugate waste going to landfills), a waste management program as well as implementing a highly efficient lighting system to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Supremex is truly committed to reducing our effects on the environment and strives to protect our planet.

“For our initial stocking program, we’ve chosen the two most popular sizes for marketing communications programs and can easily overprint custom messaging on these products for quick turnaround. Custom sizes are available upon request,” says Mr. Rundle.

“We see obvious applications in Direct Mail – fundraising efforts and with environmentally conscious brand owners be they private or publically owned.”

Step Forward Paper™ is now available in Canada in 8.5×11, 8.5×14, 11×17, 23×35, 25×38 and 28×40 with corresponding #10 and #9 envelopes.

For more information on where to buy Step Forward Paper™ please click here

The Premier Print Award Competition recognizes the highest quality printed pieces in various categories from around the world. Each year, only the most worthy pieces receive Awards of Recognition, Certificates of Merit, and the highest honor—the Benny statue. The Benny has become a universally recognized symbol for excellence in the printing industry.

Step Forward Paper has officially won a Benny Award in 2014 with the Corporate Knights 2013 November Issue printed by Earthcolor.

Last November, Corporate Knights, the magazine for clean capitalism, made history as the first magazine in North America printed on paper made mostly from wheat straw. Every page of Corporate Knight’s November issue was printed on Step Forward Professional Grade Paper, which is 60% wheat straw waste and 40% FSC® certified wood fibre.

“As a magazine that pushes corporations to be more environmentally responsible, Corporate Knights makes every effort to walk its own talk. With this special straw issue, we wanted to show other print publishers that recycled paper isn’t the only sustainable option available to them,” said Tyler Hamilton, editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights. “Using paper made from agricultural waste such as wheat straw offers another way to take pressure off our forests, which as the lungs of our planet are more important than ever in the battle against climate change.”

The team at Step Forward Paper is thrilled to win this prestigious award and wants to thank Earthcolor for their great work on this project and Corporate Knights for choosing Step Forward Paper.

With the holidays just around the corner, the team at Step Forward Paper wanted to bring you and your family some eco-tips on enjoying the holiday season while minimizing the waste, expense and stress that comes with the holidays!

Use green products to clean your house when expecting guests

There are many natural cleaning products available now that not only have a positive impact on the environment, but also do not contain damaging toxins that can have negative effects the body. Look for ones that don’t contain harsh chemical solvents, chlorine, ammonia, or synthetic fragrances. Baking soda or vinegar mixed with a little water also makes a excellent multipurpose cleaner.

Choosing your Christmas Tree

If you choose to have a Christmas tree this year, look for live potted trees that are reusable (you can replant it or keep it in the pot in your yard and use it for next year).

Always look for locally chopped trees and if you choose to use an artificial tree avoid using those that contain Polyvinyl Chloride (PCV).

When the holidays are over, don’t put your tree out with the trash where it will end up in a landfill. Instead, see if your community has a tree-recycling pick-up day. Recycling services turn trees into compost or mulch for community parks and other public areas. Visit earth911.com to find a tree recycler in your area.

Fill yourself with holiday joy, but try to keep the trashcan empty!

Over the holidays it’s easy to generate a lot of garbage, and one of the big culprits is holiday entertaining. Plastic cutlery can hang around a landfill for thousands of holidays yet to come, and even paper plates aren’t earth-friendly if they’re coated in petroleum-based wax.

Biodegradable cutlery and plates are one alternative. Better yet:

Use cloth instead of paper napkins. Reusing is always better than recycling, and napkins won’t take any more energy, soap, or water to wash because you can throw them in with your regular laundry.

Borrow plates and silverware. If you’re short, ask a few friends to bring a set of each.

Rent dinnerware.

The team at Step Forward Paper wishes you a merry, relaxing and wonderful holiday filled with friends and family and a happy new year!

On Monday November 17th, Step Forward Paper teamed up with Staples Advantage and Kimberley-Clark Professional for a customer appreciation event in Los Angeles. The event, “Wine, Wheat and Whiskey” was hosted by the Hub L.A and sponsored by Greenbar Craft Distillery.

The night began with socializing and mingling over cocktails and sprits provided by Greenbar. After networking, the guests listened to presentations on sustainability from Step Forward Paper’s Jeff Golfman, and representatives from Staples, Kimberley-Clark and Greenbar Craft Distillery.

Jeff Golfman of Step Forward Paper

“It is so necessary to provide customers sustainable solutions. The Wine, Wheat, and Whiskey event opened customer’s eyes to the idea that they can purchase sustainable products from floor cleaner to copy paper without compromising cost reduction” – Samantha Mudd, Staples Advantage

The team at Step Forward Paper would like to thank all those who came out for the event and Staples, Kimberley-Clark Professional and Greenbar Craft Distillery for making the event such a success!

To learn more about Step Forward Paper’s commitment to sustainability please click here

Step Forward Paper™, joined hundreds of professionals and practitioners in corporate social responsibility, corporate sustainability, community relations and volunteerism to share ideas, exchange next and best practices, and explore practical business solutions to the challenges that Canadian CSR leaders face.

Jeff Golfman, Co-Founder, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Prairie Paper Ventures Inc., gave the keynote speech on the final day of the event. Jeff’s speech, “The 10 keys to Success in Eco-Entrepreneurship” was paired with a presentation by Christopher Hakes, Director of Client Engagement at Offsetters, who joined Jeff on stage to announce the release of Step Forward Paper’s 2014 Lifeycle Study.

Step Forward Paper™ was the official paper of the conference and all of the program guides were printed on our Step Forward Professional Grade paper™.

The 2014 Lifecycle Study by Offsetters , released at the Summit, looked at how Step Forward Paper™ compared to a variety of papers based on 15 environmental indicators.

This study demonstrates that the greatest environmental benefits are achieved when the new fibre input is sourced from agricultural residues, and paper fibres (from any source) are recycled to the maximum extent possible. Step Forward Paper™ 80% has less than half of the impacts of 100% virgin tree-based paper, and is the most sustainable of the paper types studied that include virgin content.

In the keynote address, Jeff Golfman shared his “10 keys to success in eco-entrepreneurship” and inspired the audience with stories of struggle and success throughout his journey in entrepreneurship. Mr. Golfman’s simple tip “Never Give Up” was truly put into perspective when he told the audience about the fact that initially engineers and scientists told him that the idea behind making paper from wheat-straw waste was simply not feasible. He then told the audience that the program guides they held in their hands were printed on Step Forward Paper™, the same paper that he was told would never come to fruition.

The key to any success is truly to never give up!

We met some fantastic people at the Summit and look forward to attending next years event. Thank you to everyone who made the inaugural CSR Summit such a great success!

In a 2013 interview with MTV, Woody Harrelson, co-founder of Step Forward Paper, was asked if he encourages recycling and sustainability while on movie sets and during filming and production.

WOODY: That’s interesting you say that, because it’s my big dream, and I think it’s going to happen … that “The Hunger Games” 3 and 4 are going to be the most ecological sets ever. I’ll talk to you more about that when it becomes a true reality, but I think that’s what is going to happen.

It’s difficult, because I’ve got to tell you that the film industry … there is a lot of waste, and it’s not the most ecological industry, I’ll tell you that. I’ve been really wanting to see that shift, and I’m trying to do my part.

Green Spark Group is on a mission to be at the nexus of the sustainable production movement and provide a hub for showcasing sustainability in the motion picture industry, fostering innovation, and advancing industry practices and reputation.

Most recently, Green Spark Group has started using Step Forward Paper on the production of a documentary titled “Behind the Screens”.

Kudos to Green Spark Group on their amazing work and commitment to sustainability.

Well, to start, B stands for ‘Benefit’. Certified B Corporations meet higher standards of social and environmental performance. It’s like LEED certification but for a business, not just a building. The outcome is a comprehensive measurement of a company’s impact on its employees, suppliers, community and the environment.

Step Forward Paper has been a registered B Corporation since 2013 and is an active member of the Toronto B Corp community.

Ian Martin Group is an outstanding leader in the B Corp community and we are thrilled that they have started using Step Forward Paper throughout all of their Canadian offices.

We are always thrilled when we discover other companies who share our passion for saving trees and protecting our environment.

Ten Tree is a lifestyle apparel company based out of Saskatchewan, Canada, that plants ten trees for every item purchased. By combining social and environmental consciousness with lifestyle apparel, Ten Tree allows consumers to have a direct impact on the environment and communities worldwide.

Ten Tree uses Step Forward Paper for all their copy paper needs and we look forward to partnering on more projects with them in the next couple months. Stay tuned to our blog for more details on upcoming promotions!